Why Scores Are Lower Now Than When Accountability System Was
Established

Standardized test scores were higher in the beginning years of the
Arkansas accountability system billions of dollars ago than they are now.
Strangely, no one has even mentioned that in this entire educational debate.

Act 89 of 1983 required a norm referenced test (NRT) at three grade
levels in order to compare Arkansas students to the rest of the nation.
Despite the largest tax increase in history in the early 80’s and doubling of
funding from 1.4 billion in 1995 to 2.8 billion in 2001, test scores in the
required 3 grade levels declined significantly. In 1984 the scores were
61% in 4th grade,
57% in 7th grade, and
51% in 10th grade. By 2001 they
had dropped to 51% in 5th grade,
51% in 7th grade, and
49% in 10th grade. (See
table of all scores from 1984 to 2003 below)

. We believe the ADE should bear major responsibility for lower scores
because schools still had control of the curriculum and most of the decision
making in 1984 when scores were higher. According to recent Arkansas surveys,
95% of superintendents and 96% of teachers said the educational reforms have
been a top down approach with most or all the significant decisions made by
educational bureaucrats.

For a few years after 1984, the
scores did improve (up to 67% in 5th grade; 61% in 7th
grade and 58% in 10th grade in 1990) when the teachers still had
freedom to use their own methods; and the curriculum was based on specific
content objectives. Following are just some of the reasons we teachers feel the
scores have decreased and why any accountability programs pushed by the ADE
should be viewed cautiously.

In 1991, the ADE began to implement
Outcome Based Education (OBE) methods, techniques, and philosophies as outlined
in Act 236 of 1991. Outcome Based Education (OBE) is that wonderful philosophy
that promotes government controlled education, no grades, no grade levels, no
competition, no textbooks, no memorization and drills. By 1997 the scores had
sunk dramatically.

Instead of addressing the declining
scores, the ADE under our present director, began transitioning
to a new type test for accountability, the
benchmark tests recommended in the OBE law, Act 236. The ADE hired an
inexperienced company, Advanced Systems, to design these tests. Its director
said, "We couldn’t afford to hire anybody who knew anything about tests, so we
hired people who were bright and committed." This same testing company had a
29.5 million contract with Kentucky who also had an OBE law, but was fired
after a number of years because they failed to deliver a "usable product," and
the Senate voted 35-1 to scrap the test.

The ADE, coerced teachers to
replace their traditional basic curriculum to match this new test. Our present
ADE director also continued with other OBE philosophy, methods, and standards
initiated in 1991. These standards earned an F from the prestigious Fordham
Foundation and a D from the American Federation of Teachers.

Douglas
Reeves was the expert for standards and testing, and his videos were
distributed throughout the state for teacher training. Reeves says in his
books and writing that, "Competition is not part of the human spirit, but part
of modern day psychosis.” Reeves doesn’t believe in nationally normed tests, in
comparing different schools’ test scores, and says other forms of assessment are
better than number or letter grades. Reflecting Reeves’ views, an Arkansas
Smart Start pamphlet praised two Arkansas schools for eliminating grades, In
Kentucky, which also has an OBE law, spelling bees were called off because they
were too stressful for students, and there was only one winner. For more
information on Reeves see:
http://www.afaar.org/Curriculum%20Concerns%20-%20Daggett-Reeves-Crusades.htm

The
ADE is still enthusiastically continuing the Math Crusades program which
undermines basic education. College textbooks used in Arkansas Math Crusades
recommend "decreasing attention to Rote Practice, Memorization, One Answer and
One Method, Use of Worksheets, Written Practice and Teaching by Telling." Math
Crusades books say, “Grading can be detrimental to student willingness to learn
and should be replaced.” Portfolios, a collection of students’ work, are
their choice for evaluation. ADE Director Ray Simon highly praises math
specialists trained by this program.

ADE
mandated staff development has wasted millions of dollars and countless hours of
teachers’ time training teachers in the above OBE philosophies. The following
workshop advertisement epitomizes this staff development. "Are these teachers
crazy? They took 170 seventh graders to a city park all day for five days to
study the geographic regions of Arkansas…Students heard a blues singer and wrote
their own Delta Blues….students took wild turkey feathers
and experimented with the effect of oil on feathers…Get packets and ideas." OBE
proponents constantly stress hands on experience versus textbook learning.

Most
recently our ADE Director passionately promoted Act 1467 of 2003 which bases all
sanctions on the experimental benchmark tests and flawed standards. Act 1467
gives the ADE power (greatly increased government control) to take over the
majority of our schools and place their own appointees in administrative
positions. This would give them total power to implement the philosophies and
methods promoted by OBE, Math Crusades, Reeves, and Daggett, or any other
liberal methods they dream up.

From
our perspective as teachers, we would indeed be foolish to support continued
educational reforms unless significant accountability is imposed where the
real power and
responsibility rest. Most of the leadership who implemented these problematic
reforms are still in the ADE. If schools can have their management replaced when
they don’t improve, shouldn’t the ADE function under the same rules. The State
Education Board has authority over the ADE. Electing that board would be an
effective way of holding its members accountable.

Educators are not opposed to educational reform. We just know that unless these
faulty and deceptive techniques are exposed, Arkansas will never realize real
educational reform or improvement but will only continue to waste billions of
taxpayers’ dollars. We keep hearing from legislators that local control hasn’t
worked so we have to do something else. The real truth is that government
control hasn’t worked. Educators have had very little control for a number
of years now.

According to ADE
documents An accountability law, Act 89 of 1983, required a norm referenced
test (NRT) at three grade levels in order to compare Arkansas students to the
rest of the nation.

You probably won’t see a table like
this unless you compile it yourself. It is unbelievable that Arkansas set up an
accountability system, and these scores have never been posted in a full picture
or printed in a newspaper in full.

Year

5th
Grade

7th
Grade

10th
Grade

1984 SRA Spring

61%

57%

51%

1985 MAT 6 Spring

64%

54%

53%

1986 MAT6 Spring

66%

58%

54%

1987 MAT 6 Spring

66%

58%

54%

1988 MAT-6 Spring

66%

59%

55%

1989 MAT 6 Spring

67%

60%

56%

1990 MAT 6 Spring

67%

61%

58%

1991 MAT 6 Spring

65%

60%

57%

1992 SAT-8 Spring

52%

51%

49%

1993 Spring SAT-8

51%

49%

52%

1994 Spring SAT-8

52%

51%

50%

1995 Spring SAT-8

50%

50%

49%

1995 SAT-9 ? Fall

55%

54%

52%

1996 SAT-9 Fall

46%

47%

46%

1997 SAT-9 Fall

47%

48%

47%

1998 SAT-9Fall

47%

48%

47%

1999 SAT-9 Fall

48%

49%

47%

2000 SAT-9 Fall

50%

50%

48

2001 SAT-9 Fall

51%

51%

49%

2002 No Test

No Test This
Year

No Test This
Year

No Test This
Year

2003 SAT-9 Spring

57%

57%

48%

Average last 7 tests

51%

50%

48%

I was told by Donna Wolfe in Testing that the 2003 scores could not be compared
to other scores unless they were equated because they were compared to a
different sampling. I marked 2001 because that is when we have the financial
data for comparison.